Dodgers: Dodgers Vs Braves Position by Position Breakdown

Infield

The Dodgers infield looks nothing like what anybody expected entering the season. Outside of Justin Turner at third base everything is different from what was expected entering 2018. The Dodgers have a nice mix of players. From a former World Series MVP to a player who is making his first postseason appearance, this infield has it all.

Assuming Roberts sticks to his match-up lineups (which is highly likely) here is what the infields would look like. Against right handed starters: Muncy-Hernandez-Machado-Turner-Grandal. Against left handed starters: Freese-Dozier-Machado-Turner-Grandal.

At first base the match-up is much closer than it may seem at first glance. Freddie Freeman is one of the best first basemen in baseball, he is a 3-time all-star and if the position wasn’t so loaded in the NL it would be more. This season was no different, Freeman slashed .309/.388/.505 in 2018.

Meanwhile Muncy has not been too shabby slashing .263/.391/.582. Since joining the Dodgers Freese is slashing .464/.545/.786 against LHP. Even after all of that Freeman is an elite defender which gives him a slight advantage over Muncy and Freese. It is a very slim margin but the braves get the edge at first base.

Second base is another intriguing matchup. Hernandez has exploded at the plate over the last month. He had an OPS of .973 over the last two months of the season. Albies of the Braves went in the complete opposite direction and fell off the map over the last 2 months of the season. After the All-Star break the early MVP candidate slashed .226/.282/.342. Because of the more recent success and the fact that Hernandez has proven he can perform on a big stage, advantage Dodgers at this position.

Manny Machado vs. Charlie Culberson. As much as I have and will forever have a soft spot in my heart for Charlie Culberson, this is not very close. The Braves young Shortstop Dansby Swanson will be out of the NLDS with a hand injury, but even if he was healthy the Dodgers would still have the edge. Manny Machado is electric and hungry for a ring and a big contract, playing well could get him both.

Yet another young and exciting player for the braves starts at third base. Johan Camargo has been very good this season, hitting .272 with 19 home runs in 134 games this year. But, Justin Turner is entering the postseason red hot. Over his last 2 months, Turner had OPS of 1.079. He is also one of the best postseason performers in baseball. Advantage Dodgers.

At Catcher the Braves have a pretty much even workload split between Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki. The Dodgers had originally tried this but Austin Barnes was playing woeful baseball, thus giving Grandal significantly more appearances. Grandal is either hot or cold, no in between. Nonetheless, Grandal creates a presence in the lineup that Suzuki or Flowers just don’t provide, advantage Dodgers.

Overall The Dodgers have the advantage in the infield against the NL East champions.

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